People keep finding manufacturing flaws with the latest Samsung devices, and the latest reports have the high-end Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 paint chipping, which caused Samsung to blame third-party chargers.
In the past week, a couple of different Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 owners have reported on the r/GalaxyFold subreddit that the paint is coming off of their new $1,900 foldable phones, spotted by Notebook Check.
It would be annoying if any phone had a paint peeling issue, but it's hard to take when Samsung is charging nearly two grand for the base level Z Fold 6.
Bafflingly, Samsung released a support page that puts the blame on chipping paint on third-party chargers and some accessories that can be connected to the phone. A page that starts by saying:
"Before being released to the public, Samsung devices and accessories undergo rigorous testing to ensure they are safe and function properly. However, if a user attempts to use an incompatible third-party product with their Samsung device, there is a risk of inadvertently causing damage, such as paint peeling, to the device."
The page goes on to say that an improperly grounded charger can introduce "leakage current" which affects the anodization of the metal in the phone and can "delaminate" the paint. The company recommends you use official Samsung chargers to prevent such an issue. It would be nice if Samsung still packaged its new phones with official chargers.
The page also says that Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) massagers can cause paint issues. Apparently, the leakage current can happen here, and Samsung recommends that you place the phone away from you so "it doesn't touch any part of your body." So, uh, don't hold your phone during treatment.
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 does sport a new matte finish, but it's strange that a charger could cause this much of an issue, especially with all that "rigorous testing."
According to the Aluminum Anodizers Council, anodizing is an electrochemical process in which aluminum oxide is applied to a metal surface that "is fully integrated with the underlying aluminum substrate, so it cannot chip or peel."
If the Z Fold 6 is anodized, as Samsung claims, then the paint should not be peeling off their phones. If anything, the flaw you would see is scratches or marks on the phone, which also points to poor durability.
Samsung has struggled with quality control of devices released during the summer Unpacked event in July, during which it also revealed the Galaxy Watch Ultra. The smartwatch has also had reports of flaking finishes and at least one report of a badly misaligned watch face.
Before those reports, Samsung canceled Galaxy Buds 3 pre-orders due to manufacturing issues, including uneven gaps, inconsistent finishes, and tearing ear tips. Our review sample showed that the seams were misaligned, though the buds themselves worked perfectly well.
Like the other manufacturing defects we've already reported, a couple of reports aren't a trend, but this summer has seen Samsung struggle with quality control on its most recent products.
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